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@ Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Samantha begins her walkabout in New South Wales!

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@ Living on the Edge

Purple Flower Power Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

Living on the Edge
A cliff edge in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales.

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@ Cliff Hanger
I wonder if we will run into the man from Snowy River or his mountain pony while we are here, Samantha!
Cliff Hanger
The Blue Mountains, NSW.

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@ Maroubra, Sydney
"Our tour guide says that the first European to come ashore in 1770 in what is now Sydney, was the cabin boy, who jumped from the boat onto the sands of Botany Bay," remarked Paisley.
Samantha chuckled. "I bet that really annoyed the important big-wigs behind him who wanted that distinction!"
"Yes! Still, I guess you have to have someone to hang onto the rope so the boat doesn't float away."
Maroubra, Sydney
Maroubra, Sydney

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@ Coogee, NSW
"What's your favourite Tim Tam flavour, Samantha?"
"I can't decide, Grayson! Perhaps Dark Chocolate Mint? Or the Caramel? Then the Sweet Wishes Honeycomb is lovely too! How about yourself?"
Grayson thought about it. "I have three favourites. Rum & Raisin, White chocolate and the Original Tim Tam!"
Coogee, NSW
Coogee, in residential Sydney, is a very popular beach with large stretches of sand and inlet ocean pools.

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@ Sydney Opera House, Australia
"What's the most easterly part of New South Wales, Flora?"
"Um -- the bit closest to Queensland? -- Byron Bay?"
"Yes and no," responded Samantha. "Cape Byron is the most easterly point on the mainland, but Lord Howe Island, 360 miles (580 km) east of the continent, also belongs to New South Wales. It's roughly parallel with Port Macquarie."
Sydney Opera House, Australia
In Sydney harbour stands the world-famous Sydney Opera House, the multi-venue performing arts theatre, a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. Queen Elizabeth ll officially opened the theater on Oct. 20 1973. On 28 June 2007, the Sydney Opera House became a Unesco World Heritage Site.

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@ New Year, Sydney
"Would you like a barbecue-flavoured Shape, Samantha?" queried Ladybug.
Samantha accepted with thanks and examined her little biscuit. "It's got six sides. Why don't they call it a Hexagon, rather than a Shape?"
"Oh no—they're all different, Samantha! The Cheddar flavour is a rectangle, Chicken is oval with a crimped edge and Cheese & Bacon is a sort of pillow shape."
New Year, Sydney
A blaze of firework bursts light up the sea and Sydney's iconic harbour bridge in this display to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

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@ Slumbering Sydney
"Did you know the Sydney Harbour Bridge has a little twin, Samantha?" asked Hera.
"How little? And where?" responded Samantha.
"It's the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle on Tyne, England. Both bridges were designed by the same London firm and both were built by the same Middlesbrough contractors. The one in Newcastle opened in 1928, four years earlier than the Sydney Harbour Bridge, simply because it's so much smaller, i.e. 1,276 feet in total length (389 m) compared to the 3,770 feet (1149 m) of the Sydney one."
Slumbering Sydney
The Opera House stands out as a landmark in this dark night scene. The Sydney Harbour Bridge can be seen on the far left.

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@ Sails in Silhouette
No, I don't want to visit the Sydney Opera House Samantha. Opera just sounds like fingers on a chalkboard to me. Can't we visit Tamworth instead?
Sails in Silhouette
The famous "sails" of the iconic Sydney Opera House against a backdrop of the setting sun.

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@ Landmark Lighthouse
Samantha was groaning and clutching her tum.
"Whatever is the matter?" queried Velveteen.
"When I said I would like a burger at lunchtime, the waiter asked me if I wanted it with 'the lot'. Of course, I said, 'yes, please!' The burger came with salad, sauce, pickled beetroot, a fried egg—oh, and a huge slice of pineapple!"
Landmark Lighthouse
This historic and distinctive landmark stands atop a rocky cliff, guarding the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

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@ Fireworks over the Harbour
No, I don't want to visit the Sydney Opera House Samantha. Opera just sounds like fingers on a chalkboard to me. Can't we visit Tamworth instead?
Fireworks over the Harbour
The night sky is lit up in shades of fuchsia and blue as huge fireworks enhance the celebrations for the New Year!

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@ Anzac Bridge, Sydney
"The time zones are quite complicated and varied in Australia, Pu[!"
"How so, Samantha?"
"There's a town in New South Wales called Broken Hill which does not adhere to the region’s time zone. Instead, it uses ACST, Australian Central Standard Time, which is 30 minutes behind the rest of the state!"

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@ Bridge, Sydney Harbour
"Try this Violet Crumble bar, Samantha! It's a honeycomb centre wrapped in chocolate."
"It sounds like a Crunchie, Zomzim! Is it violet flavoured?"
"No, but the wrapper's violet coloured. I think it's nicer than Crunchie!"
Bridge, Sydney Harbour
Due to its shape, it is affectionately referred to as the "Coathanger" by Sydney residents!

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@ Oceanides Sea Nymphs
"Something I found out just now, lady lovely! Paul Hogan, or Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee was once employed as a painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge."
lady lovely laughed. "We like Mick Dundee, don't we, Samantha? 'That's not a knife. That's a knife.' "
Oceanides Sea Nymphs
Oceanides by Helen Leete, installed in 1997, refers to the sea nymphs of Greek mythology which were often part human and part sea-creature. They represent bathers enjoying the sea and sun at Manly Beach, Sydney, NSW.

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@ Relax By The Water
Oh look ... you won a pet!
Relax By The Water
This looks like the perfect place to relax after a day of walking around museums. Here there is soft white sand, enough perfect rocks for sitting on, and inviting water to dip into and cool off. Bring a snack and some water, and enjoy the views while giving your sore feet a break.

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@ Sunset at Shelly Beach
"Today's trivia question, Samantha! What unofficial national anthem is often played in pubs and AFL matches across Australia?"
Samantha thoughtfully munched a TimTam. "What's AFL, ✯ƒaεяy∂aε✯☽☆☾✯?"
"The Australian Football League! You must have come across it by now!"
Samantha dropped his TimTam wrapper in a bin. "Oh. What was the question again?"
Sunset at Shelly Beach
Sunset, Shelly Beach, NSW

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@ Rural Postbox
"Our tour guide says that the first European to come ashore in 1770 in what is now Sydney, was the cabin boy, who jumped from the boat onto the sands of Botany Bay," remarked Signet.
Samantha chuckled. "I bet that really annoyed the important big-wigs behind him who wanted that distinction!"
"Yes! Still, I guess you have to have someone to hang onto the rope so the boat doesn't float away."
Rural Postbox
A sturdy makeshift postbox set up in the hinterland of Byron Bay.

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@ Tweed Heads, NSW
"Try this Violet Crumble bar, Samantha! It's a honeycomb centre wrapped in chocolate."
"It sounds like a Crunchie, Midnight Blue! Is it violet flavoured?"
"No, but the wrapper's violet coloured. I think it's nicer than Crunchie!"
Tweed Heads, NSW
Where rainforest meets ocean! Tweed Heads is right next to the border with Queensland and offers all you could wish for a quintessential Australian holiday, whether it be hiking, kayaking or surfing!

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@ Chinwagging pelicans
"Are you looking forward to the snags at the sausage sizzle tonight, Samantha?" asked seema.
"Can you translate that, please, seema?"
"Are you looking forward to a barbecued sausage wrapped in bread, with fried onions and other trimmings? Apparently the best snags are found in Nowra, so we're in the right State!"
Chinwagging pelicans
These Australian pelicans are enjoying the scene below -- one wonders what they are talking about! It is a distinctive bird, large, with black wings and a long pink bill measuring nearly 20 inches (49 cm).

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@ Green tree frog
Blimey, they grow big cockroaches down here Samantha, don't they? Fortunately I don't see any in this scene!
Green tree frog
Not to be confused with the green frog cakes in South Australia!

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@ Skink on the Brink
"Something I found out just now, Mr. Dylan! Paul Hogan, or Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee was once employed as a painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge."
Mr. Dylan laughed. "We like Mick Dundee, don't we, Samantha? 'That's not a knife. That's a knife.' "
Skink on the Brink
The pink-tongued skink cyclodomorphus gerrardii can be found in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales and upwards to Cairns in Queensland.

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@ Iridescent Ibis
"Did you know that Sydney was named after an 18th century British Home Secretary? Originally the settlement was called Sydney Cove," remarked Samantha.
"I'd like to have a city named after me," mused Icicle.
Samantha snorted. "A city called Icicle! Get away with you!"
Iridescent Ibis
The straw-necked ibis, named after its distinctive pale, spiky feathers down its neck, is found throughout Australia, except it avoids the arid interior environment.

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@ Little Pied Cormorant
"That's interesting, Samantha—the oldest skeleton found in Australia was at Lake Mungo in New South Wales. It is believed to be 38,000 years old and is the skeleton of a female," intoned Unigy.
"So did they find out whodunnit?" asked Samantha.
Little Pied Cormorant
This is a very common bird on Australia waterways, fresh or saltwater. Its main diet is crayfish and other crustaceans.

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@ Sunset Silhouette
"Are you looking forward to the snags at the sausage sizzle tonight, Samantha?" asked Archie.
"Can you translate that, please, Archie?"
"Are you looking forward to a barbecued sausage wrapped in bread, with fried onions and other trimmings? Apparently the best snags are found in Nowra, so we're in the right State!"

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@ Canberra ACT at night
Samantha has now completed her walkabout in New South Wales! As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!
Skateboarding Goanna, Black
Hey! Hi, how are you? I am just goanna go for a skate, hehe. I love my new skateboard, and it is such a lovely day the sun is shining; I have my new hat on my head, though I don’t need it to protect me from the sun, it is rather stylish. Let’s race over to the barbecue; I like mine rare, how about you?


Samantha has enjoyed her walkabout in New South Wales, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy an Australian Walkabout!